It was always one of the greatest pinball machines ever but Chicago Gaming's LE has completely blown away the original Bally/Williams in every conceivable way. The interactive topper equals CGC's topper for Attack from Mars too.

Monster Bash is a fun game to play. It is fast humorous and very accesible.

The Good: Monsters are lots of fun and this game makes sure to stay true to the enjoyment of the theme. The Wolfman playing the drums is perfect and the replay siren makes me smile. Stack your modes with Frankenstein for a good score. This makes you play the entire PF and go from there. K O'C did a great job with the PF graphics. One of my favorite match sequences ever starting with a siren and showcasing Drac imitating Pete Townshend' guitar smash just in time for the "WHACK" of the replay knocker.

The Bad: Scoring is utterly unbalancing with the multiball and wiz modes being worth so much that everything else doesn't matter. Still a blast to play these modes. The Monster Bash song seems to get stuck in your head.

The Takeaway: George Gomez (earned his nickname "Fan-Man" and kept it on every design he created after this pin-table) and crew did a great job of making this deck accessible to someone just walkingup to it and still a challenge for most players. Now there are a number of games that feel like this and for that reason I did not give it the score that many others have regarding this table. Not my favorite BG. It's all over with the colors and your eye loses focus on the images of the characters in the game. When maintained as it should be, it's a blazingly fast game to play. With the rules being so heavily weighted on the multiball wizard modes... the scoring for this game is heavily weighted in this direction as well. Between low production numbers and the fact that it still makes money on locations, it's expensive. I've seen museum pieces of this deck in five figures. If you want to just enjoy a fun game or work on your multiball skills, this is a fantastic way to go. A fun game... A really good game... but not a great game for the ages in my opinion.

Update:
After playing this game some more, I have to say that this game has a bit more strategy to it than I originally gave it credit for. Going through the modes and (strategically) adding multiball on top of them means that every shot is something to consider before being made. Be careful with Frank, as a direct shot can mean an instant drain! The spinner is a much better shot than most people play for points as well as 6 shots gets you to a multiball award from the scoop. That and it is your Monster Bash award collect as well. The rulesheet for this game isn't that long, but the nuances and secondary considerations for the long game on this deck make up for it. The audio calls are great and Lyman's Lament is a great little easter egg that can make this game even more entertaining when you get bored with the standard issue game rules. My initial issue with the game was that MB and MOR are heavily unbalancing on this table, and they are. However, you must EARN these awards and that isn't always easy. One of the things that I have really learned to appreciate about this game is the "scalability" of difficulty that depends on how the software and the physical adjustments to the game. This can make a huge difference in gameplay. Monster Bash is very much like WCS '94 in the sense that some people think this game is too easy. And it can be. Some people curse this deck in the qualifying A bank at PAPA. And it can be that too! Scores updated accordingly.

Respect (Lyman/Gomez) the architect!

Update v2:
If you can get all the modes running and THEN start Frankie's multiball, well played. For me, that is the ultimate challenge of this game. One thing this game has down is that it is FUN! No wonder the ops love it. People love to play this deck. Is it a game I'd like in my collection, for the money, probably not. But I still love to play it on location. The copy at Lyons Classic Pinball has a black light LED near the flipper making the whole area of the PF glow with green slime creepy goodness!

This game is a perfect example of why I pay attention to the programmer as much or even more than the game designer. Consider the bodies of work by Eugene Jarvis, Larry DeMar, Keith Johnson and Lyman Sheats Jr.

Chicago coin addendum:
I like what they have added to the game color changing LED’s and a larger screen with updated animations look good and add to the theater of the experience. The layout is nearly identical and the rules are the same. While the show might have been upgraded, gameplay is the same.

Chicago gaming did a fantastic job with the remake. MB is right up there in the top 5 with IJ, MM and AFM. This game has it all and is a blast to shoot.

This is a top 10 machine that always keeps me interested. You get hooked on it . To me the rules are easy enough to learn so you feel motivated to hit certain shots knowing what the rewards will be. I like actually understanding the pay off when you hit your shots. One complaint is draculas feet hit the ball coming down causing a drain more than id like .

Chicago Gaming did a great job of remaking this game. Next to it too cousins (Med Madness and Attack From Mars), the LE is certainly the prettiest of the bunch. I would even say it might win a beauty contest, or come in second and the $10 that goest with that!

However, for myself and my arcade patrons it is also the least popular of the three. So when COVID hit and someone needed to be retired, Monster Bash did not make the cut.

Is this a fun and beautiful game? Yes. Does it deserve a place in the top 10? Not in my book.

very nice machine. this is a game for every day. much better than the original.

I went to put a deposit on a JJP GnR LE. My dealer had one on the showroom (no he won't sell it...yet). I took my wife, because she loves GnR and I though she might like to play a few games. She played it. She liked it. She didn't love it...so while I was giving it a go, she found her way to a Monster Bash SE. I couldn't pry her away from it. We have some really cool pinballs in our collection, but with an hour of playing MBr, she proclaimed it to be her all time favorite. I was disheartened because I really thought I was going leave the dealer with an order placed for JJP GnR. Then I started playing MBr. I was shocked at how quickly, and how excitedly I began to get into playing MB. It is now no surprise it was brought back from the dead (pun intended). It's also no surprise why this game has consistently been ranked in the top 5 all time pinballs. There is so much to this game. Great toys, amazing flow, awesome combos, exciting and attainable multi balls, funny call outs, and fantastic lighting (MBr). This is a game everyone can enjoy. Players of all skill levels will have a blast shooting this pin.

MB LE is a super fun pin. Keeps me coming back for just one more play. The lighting and call outs are awesome. This one is not leaving my collection.

This game is just the best. My whole family loves it. Wizard mode is attainable by mere mortals but still challenging. Awesome music, humor, great flow, and just plain fun. There’s a reason it’s a classic!

Just Love This Game!!!!!!

This game was fun. I only played 5 games on it, but it was very cool. I enjoy the Dracula and Frankenstein's monster toys that you hit. I would say this is probably my 6th favorite pinball that I've played. It's hard to decide because there's so many good tables coming out these days. But this is solid game.

Looks and plays better than the original!

It's weird....let me explain, it's a little on the easy side and there's one shot that annoys me because I can't hit but I thoroughly enjoy it, my kids enjoy it too. The lighting is great, the theme is timeless, the colors pop and its funny. The topper on this LE is perfect and the lighting on the topper really complements the game.

Super fun game. Love the colors animations and sound. It’s one of those games where newbies can get into it and seasoned players keep coming back. Some of the best bash toys in my opinion.

What can I say about Monster Bash that has not already been said? MB is a great fun game with simple (easy to follow) rules that everyone can enjoy. The rules are not very deep which is kinda why the game is so much fun. This pin is the type that always wants you to play one more game... L.E. version is near perfect, great game to play beautiful to look at and the sound quality is also great. Not the best game if you only plan to own one pin, rules may not be deep enough...

What a great game - had no idea what I was missing until I played this! I plan to purchase one in the near future.

Awesome game - the LE has it all - turning an old game into a fresh experience is what Chicago Gaming has done - they.ve hit it out of the park with the lighting, toys, and general feel of the game. Not a big fan of just two flipper 'fan' styled shots but this game gets it right for me; rewarding as and you feel like a rock god when you get MOR mode running - but damn that bride microphone is hard to get!!

Pros:
- Beautiful game
- Lots of toys
- Accessible to guests
- High quality build

Cons:
- Extremely repetitive
- Shallow code

This was my first CGC game and I would never hesitate to buy another game from them. The build quality was absolutely excellent. It is the most maintenance-free game I have ever owned. I didn’t have to call tech support even once.

If you are a big fan of Universal Monsters then this is the version of MBr that you want. The game is visually stunning. The artwork is perfect, the purple powder coating looks great and the engraved metal Monsters plate is a perfect finishing touch for the lockbar. The topper color changing led’s is awesome.

On the negative side, I personally believe that this is only a game for a large home collection. The person that I bought it from had bought it NIB. He had a small collection and sold it after only 3 months. I was excited to get it, but I also have a small collection and grew bored of it after only about 6 months. The gameplay is very shallow and repetitive.

Bottom line- it’s a cool game to experience, but I would not own it again.

One of the best pins for people getting into pinball - pure fun, amazing callouts that will make you laugh, great shots and something to achieve for anyone. The Limited Edition from CGC is also as beautiful as it gets, specifically the blue trim is amazing.

What an outstanding version of an outstanding game. Great play-ability, rules and flow. The theme is perfect from my perspective as is the music. Toys are abundant, but sooo perfect for the game.

Monster Bash Remake LE is hands down one of the most beautiful machines I’ve ever played and I have the privilege of owning. Classic fan layout with one of the best themes in pinball. Perfect flow, great animations and funny callouts make this game a keeper. Especialy awesome because anybody can walk up to it and enjoy it thoroughly because of its straight forward rule set. And that topper!! Wow!! Absolutely gorgeous!! One gripe I have is that I just wish the code was a bit deeper. That said, it’s still one of the most fun games around!!

cool theme very fun game cool topper

Most Beautiful game we have ever seen. Lighting is awsome cant get any better then this Remake.

A beautiful machine that deserved a refresh, Color display looks beautiful and the figurines really pop. The sound and animations have only gotten better. Overall Chicago pinball has done an excellent job bringing back old machines. Sadly if you owned the original this refresh should not scare you, they are works of art like all pinballs, not pieces to be sold and bought for profit.

I have added this game recently to our home collection and I can just say WOOOW. First of all big big compliments to CGC for the upgrade of this classic and the build quality...SUPER! This top game is now just that bit more fun and stunning. Light, sound, display, topper, vibrant colors....it is all there. Me and the family just cannot stop playing it as the gameplay and theme have it all. I never dreamed I would unbox a new and upgraded Monster Bash in my life so it was a big moment. It is a lot of money but it is a fully interactive artwork that you can play with and have fun with for many year to come....unique.
It is not as challenging/frustrating as AFM can be but the overal package is so great that competitive gameplay is always there. Like AFM this will never leave the collection.